Eating In India: 12 Ways To Avoid Delhi Belly From Restaurants & Street Food

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Here are my top tips eating in India while avoiding Delhi Belly ↓

1. Only eat piping hot, cooked food (unless it has a peel). Cooking kills everything, so this is the best way to avoid getting sick due to bacteria or a parasite. Unfortunately, that means avoiding salads, berries, juices, and anything else that’s raw, unless it has a peel like a banana. If you’re a raw foodist, I recommend changing your diet while in India.

2. Eat exclusively at respectable restaurants that are busy. A busy restaurant is a good bet for two reasons. You can be sure it’s not a place with a reputation for making people sick (or nobody would eat there), and the high turnover means the food is more likely to be fresh.

3. Eat at upscale places. High-end hotels and restaurants that cater to Westerners are more likely to be clean than a little hole-in-the-wall. The 4- and 5-star hotels are the best bet if you want to be certain of amazingly delicious, safe food. Again, make sure it’s busy.

4. Never eat street food. In our experience, the street food in India is notoriously unclean and is often left sitting out in the hot open air. Some people brag about how they ate it and didn’t get sick, but in our opinion it’s simply not worth the risk. I even had a friend who died from an E. Coli infection he got from eating Indian street food. This is an extreme case, of course, but I like to play it very safe.

5. Probiotics and charcoal are amazing. Probiotics boost the good bacteria in your stomach, improve digestion, and increase natural immunity. They’re a great preventative measure while traveling to India and even before your trip. Additionally, charcoal tablets are incredibly effective at stopping diarrhea and preventing dysentery because they quickly absorb the toxins or pathogens in your system that are causing the problem. As always, be sure to get advice from your doctor before taking any supplements.

6. Avoid too much spicy food, especially chilis. Indian food is known for being hot, and while some tourists like it that way, spicy food can be really rough on your stomach if you’re not used to it. In my experience, chilis can act as a laxative, which is probably something you don’t want.

7. Consider becoming a vegetarian while you’re there. India has the lowest meat consumption rates in the world and beef is even banned in some areas. The meat we’ve seen in India usually looks unsafe, often hanging in the warm, open air with flies buzzing around. If you can, we recommend becoming a vegetarian while you’re in India - so much of the food available is meatless anyway that you won’t be missing much.

8. Try some local fruits. Interestingly there are several local fruits in India that are excellent for helping prevent getting sick. These include pomegranate, guava and coconut which have all been shown by the National Institutes of Health to have amazing antibacterial and anti-diarrheal qualities.

9. Don’t overeat. Eating too much will weaken your digestion and immunity, which makes you an easy target for bacteria. It is a rather simple point, but the only times we’ve gotten sick in India were when we didn’t follow this rule. Also avoid having too many heavy foods such as fried foods or Indian sweets.

10. Wipe off your utensils. Plates and silverware at restaurants are often unclean because they’ve been wiped with a dirty dishcloth, or not really washed properly. For this reason, I recommend wiping your eating ware with a paper napkin or sanitizing wipes before you eat.

11. Eat with your hands – it’s fun! Your hands are often the cleanest utensil since you know where they’ve been, and the joy of eating with your hands in India is well worth trying. Just remember to always wash your hands and hand sanitizer first!

12. Take extra precautions when eating at people’s homes. I’ve had the best food of my life at people’s homes in India, but it’s important to make sure the food is cooked and that you’re not drinking tap water. Also, don’t eat too fast, because they will keep piling the food on your plate and essentially force feed you if you’re not careful!